Dispenser package



1968- R. A. KRZYZANOWSKT 3,37

DISPENSER PACKAGE Filed June 15, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ROBERT A.KRZYZANOWSK! ATTORNEY Feb. 27, 1968 l R. A. KRZYZANOWSKI 3,370,776

DISPENSER PACKAGE Filed June 15, 1966 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ROBERT A. KRZYZANOWSKI BY aw ATTORNEY United States Patent Ofifice 3,376,776 Patented Feb. 27, 1968 3,370,776 DISPENSER PACKAGE Robert A. Krzyzanowski, Milwaukee, Wis., assignor to Milprint, Inc., Milwaukee, Wis., a corporation of Delaware Filed June 15, 1966, Ser. No. 557,760 1 Claim. (Cl. 229-27) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A dispensing package comprising carton having an inner diagonal wall dividing the carton interior into two compartments in which the diagonal wall is formed as a three-panel flap hinged to an outer wall panel of the carton.

This invention relates generally to the packaging field; more specifically, to a dispenser package comprising a carton with an inner diagonal wall and articles arranged on either side of the inner diagonal wall whereby the articles are packaged in such fashion as to allow facile withdrawal of an article from the carton. A flat carton blank is also provided which can be erected into a carton for use in the package of this invention.

General problem The basic purposes of this invention are to provide a new or improved dispenser package which holds two groups of articles in a manner which admits of easy extraction of an article from the top of each group; to accomplish this with a carton as an outer container which is compact and requires a minimum volume; and, further, to accomplish this without the use of biasing means, for example, a spring, acting upwardly against the bottom of each group of articles.

Prior art The typical prior art solution to the packaging of a group of articles in a dispenser type of carton involves stacking the articles one on top of another inside of the carton and then requiring a person to remove individual articles either from the bottom or top of the stack. The bottom-extraction can present problems in that when the lowermost article is removed, the stack must move downwardly by gravity in order to present the next article in the dispensing position; in many instances, particularly with light articles, some of the articles in the stack may get hung up on the edges of the interior of the carton and thereby impair proper dispensing. The top-extraction is often disadvantageous in that a user must reach into the carton to remove the articles near the bottom of the stack after he has removed the upper ones; thus, the lower articles in the stack are not presented in a convenient dispensing position, Also, with either of these prior art systems, there can be a tendency for the stack of articles to lose its integrity after some of the articles have been removed so that it may collapse and destroy the orderly arrangement of one article on top of another and, when this happens, proper dispensing is inhibited.

Present invention The outer carton used in the dispenser package of this invention incorporates an inner slanted or diagonal wall which divides the interior of the carton into two compartments. Articles are inserted in each compartment with one of their ends disposed at the narrow end of each inner compartment. Two of the carton walls, each for one of the inner compartments, have a tear-away zone or area which can be removed to provide an opening through which a person can insert his fingers to grasp the top most article of each stack at the end thereof along the narrow part of the inner compartment. Preferably, the articles are physically arranged in the carton so that their ends are slightly wedged into the narrow end of each inner compartment, i.e. there is a slight gripping of such ends of the articles between the inner diagonal wall and an opposite end wall of the carton so that each stack of articles is retained in the desired position. When the articles from one stack are dispensed, the carton is turned over and those from the other stack can be removed. The new package obviates the difliculties mentioned above with respect ot prior art dispenser cartons of the general type under consideration in that each individual article is held in a position which allows easy extraction from the carton, the two stacks of articles are held in a rather secure position, and there is no tendency for individual articles to become hung up inside the carton.

In addition to the general purposes of this invention as previously set forth, some of its more specific objects are to provide a dispenser carton which has an inner diagonal wall or partition that is of such construction as to include a portion having a free edge which engages the junction of two of the other walls of the carton in order to hold the partition in the desired position, and to provide the specific new or improved details of construction hereinafter claimed.

The above and other objects will appear in the description which follows wherein reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof and in which there is shown, by way of illustration and not of limitation, a specific form in which this invention may be practiced. This form will be described in clear and concise terms to enable persons skilled in the packaging art to make and use the present invention, but it is to be understood that other embodiments of the invention may be used and that structural changes in the embodiments herein described may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the true scope of the present invention. Thus, in its broader aspects, this invention is not limited to the specific constructions hereinafter described.

In the drawings, in which the same reference numeral refers to the same part:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a blank for erection into the carton of this invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view with a portion broken away of an intermediate step in the erection of the blank of FIG. 1 into a carton;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a later step in the formation of a carton from the blank of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is a sectional view showing the carton illustrated in the preceding drawings after it has been loaded with articles.

FIGURE 1 FIG. 1 illustrates a blank 10, that can be erected into a carton for the practice of this invention, which comprises four wall panels, 11, 12, 13 and 14 defined by parallel fold lines 15, 16, 17 and 18, the fold lines being formed as creased or scored portions of the sheet of material from which the blank 10 is cut. When the blank is folded into a carton, wall panels 11 and 13 form the sides and panels 12 and 14 form the top and bottom wa ls.

A flap 20 is hinged to the panel 14 along fold line 18, and the flap is suitably cut and scored to form an inner diagonal wall or partition when the carton is formed. The flap 20 includes a pair of spaced parallel fold lines 21 and 22 which are separated from each other by a distance A equal to the width B of the panels 12 and 14. The fold lines 21 and 22 are at an angle to the fold line 18 and divide the flap 20 into three portions: a generally triangular inner portion 23 connected to the wall panel 14, a generally rectangular inter-mediate panel 24, and a triangular outer portion 25. The edges 26 of the portions 23 and which are perpendicular to the fold line 18 are as long as the width C of the panels 11 and 13. Near one end of the inner portion 23, a short slit or cut-line 27 is formed which is parallel to the fold line 18 and extends through the thickness of the flap 20.

One end of each panel 12 and 14 has an end closure flap 28 connected to it along a perforated line 39, and the opposite end of each panel 12 and 14 has an end closure flap 29 hinged thereto along a fold line 30 which is perpendicular to the fold lines 1518. End closure flaps 31 are connected to each end of panels 11 and 13 along fol-d lines 30, and for the. major part of their length (measured parallel to the fold lines 15-18), the flaps 31a, 31band 310 are slightly narrower than the panels 11 and 13 to which they are connected, i.e. narrower than the width C thereof, for the purpose hereinafter described. End flaps 32 extend from each end of the intermediate panel 24 and are hinged thereto along fold lines 33.

Near one end of the panels 12 and 14, there is defined a tear-away zone 35 bounded on one side by perforated line 36 which includes a central curved portion 37 and a straight line portion 38 extending from each end of the curved portion to the corners of the panel, and bounded on the other side by a straight perforated line 39 extending between the two ends of the portions 38. The tearaway zones 35 are thus adapted to be removed from their respective wall panls upon severance along the perforated lines, to provide an access opening for each compartment through which a person can remove articles packed inside a carton erected from the blank. The perforated lines 36 and 39 may be formed by any conventional means and may include a series of spaced slits or perforations which extend through the wall panel or by various continuous slit lines that would extend partially through the thickness of the panels.

The blank 10 may be formed of any suitable carton material, such as paperboard, cardboard, or other foldable sheet material including plastics; and the blank may be uncoated or coated with functional coatings such as heat seal coatings, barrier coatings, etc. such as are generally used in the packaging art. The various score lines, cut lines, and perforated lines can be formed in the blank by any suitable creasing, scoring, cutting or perforating mechanisms as are conventionally used in this art. The blanks may be stacked and stored in a flat condition until such time as they are to be converted into carton form, which can be done either manually or mechanically.

FIG URES 23 Two of the intermediate steps in the erection of a carton from the blank 10 are depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3. In the step shown in FIG. 2, the wall panels 13 and 14 are placed in a right angle relationship by folding along fold line 17. The flap 20 is then folded along fold line 18 to an upright position in which the inner portion 23 is approximately vertical and parallel to wall panel 13. The intermediate panel 24 is then hinged above fold line 21 so as to overlie wall panel 14, after which the triangular outer portion 25 is hinged about fold line 22 so that it lays against wall panel 13 and its free edge 25a is disposed along the fold line 16.

After the position in FIG. 2 has been reached, wall panel 12 is folded along fold line 16 so as to become parallel to the wall panel 14. Panel 11 is then folded toa interior of the carton. The inner portion 23 of the flap bears against the wall panel 11 and the outer'portion'25 bears against the wall panel 13, both along the inside surfaces of said wall panels, when the carton is in the erected condition. Furthermore, when the four outer walls are in this position, the free edge 25a of the triangular portion 25 is arranged along'the corner junction between panels When the carton is assembled, the diagonal wall 24 divides the interior of the carton into two separate article receiving compartments, each being of triangular crosssectional shape. With the carton in the condition as illustrated in FIG. 3, the end closure flaps being open, articles can be inserted on either side of the inner diagonal panel 24 through the two open ends of the carton.

FIGURE 4 The filled carton in its sealed condition is illustrated in the sectional view of FIG. 4 wherein it is illustrated as being used to package a plurality of pouches 45. The

pouches 45 are shown in the drawing can be so-called slack filled wherein the contents of each pouch do not completely fill the interior thereof, or they may be entirely filled with their selected material. Each inner compartment of the carton carries a group of pouches 45, which may be inserted therein either singly or in groups through one of the open ends of the carton after it in the condition of FIG. 3. Preferably, the pouches 45 are inserted so that one of their ends, 46 in FIG. 4, is disposed in the narrow space of each inner compartment between Wall panel 12 and diagonal wall 24 for the one compartment and the wall panel 14 and diagonal wall 24 of the other. Thenarrow space for one compartment is where the diagonal wall 24 and top wall panel 12 are at an acute angle to each other at the top of the carton, and for the other compartment is where the diagonal wall 24 and bottom wall panel 14 are at an acute angle to each other at the bottom of the carton. In this manner, the pouches are slightly wedged into such narrow spaces so that there is a slight gripping action between the end portions of the two walls along each such narrow space. This action aids to hold each stack of articles in a relatively fixed position in their respective compartments. Loading of the carton can be either manual or mechanical. After each compartment has been loaded, the closure flaps 28, 29 and 31 on the wall panels 11, 12, 13 and 14 and the' closure flaps 32 on the ends of the diagonal wall panel 24 are folded over to close each end of the carton and may be joined together in any desired manner, as by glue, adhesive, etc.,

in order to close the ends of the carton. When closing the 7 ends of the carton, the flaps 32 attached to the diagonal panel 24 can be first folded to a vertical position, then the flaps 31 on the panels 11 and 13 are folded over to partially close the end of the carton, and next the closure flaps 28 and 29 attached to the panels 1 2 and 14 can be folded over and sealed to each other inorder to close the end of each compartment. In this fashion, the flaps 32 on the diagonal panel 24 also serve to brace the diag onal panel against movement since they contact the relatively fixed end flaps attached to the other panels when the end of the carton is sealed. With the closure flaps 31a, 31b and 310 being slightly narrower than the panels 11, 13, these end closure flaps do not interfere with access to the two compartments.

The action of removing an article from inside the carton is also illustrated in FIG. 4. When a person desires to extract articles, he severs the tear-away-zone 35from the wall panel 12 along the perforated lines 36 and 39 and then removes the zone 35 to form an access opening into the upper compartment bounded by the panel 12 and panel 24. He can then insert his fingers through the opening to withdraw the upper pouch 45 carried therein. The remaining pouches 45 inside the first compartment are retained in position and the next pouch is in a dispensing position ready for removal. When all the articles are taken out of the first compartment, the carton is turned over so that the wall panel 14 is at the top, and the preceding sequence is repeated until the pouches 45 carried in the second compartment bounded by the panel 14 and panel 24 are removed. At all times, the top pouch in each stack is in a position which allows easy extraction from the carton. Furthermore, there is no tendency for each stack to collapse after some of the articles have been withdrawn and there is no chance of an article engaging interior portions of the carton and being prevented from assuming a proper dispensing position.

There has thus been described a dispenser package which is capable of satisfying the several objects of this invention previously set forth. Although illustrated herein as being used to package pouches, a variety of other articles, either wrapped or unwrapped, can be accommodated in the carton according to this invention; for example, articles such as cleaning pads, paper towels, can be packaged therein. Although the specific blank illustrated herein is particularly effective in providing the desired type of dispenser package for this invention, other forms of cartons having the inner diagonal panel can be devised. For example, the diagonal wall could be added as a separate panel rather than being an integral portion of the blank in the manner shown herein. While access to each inner compartment of the carton has been shown as being obtained through either the top or bottom walls surrounding the compartments, such access can be obtained through an end of the carton. Although a number of terms of relative position, such as top, bottom, end, etc. have been used throughout this description in order to achieve clarity, it is intended that such terms be interpreted in a generic instead of a restrictive sense. In its basic precepts, this invention is not limited to the specific construction described herein, but it may be embodied in structures which change one or several of the disclosed features of the illustrated carton. It is to be understood that it is intended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of this invention as herein illustrated, and other embodiments not described, which do not constitute a departure from the true spirit and scope of this invention.

I claim:

1. A blank for erection into a carton having an inner diagonal wall, comprising a sheet of material cut and scored to define:

(1) first, second, third and fourth wall panels hinged together along parallel first, second, and third fold lines;

(2) a flap hinged to the fourth wall panel along a fourth fold line parallel to the first, second, and third fold lines, said flap including a pair of spaced fifth and sixth fold lines which are parallel to each other but at an angle to the first, second, third and fourth fold lines so as to divide the flap into an inner portion, an intermediate panel, and an outer portion; the intermediate panel being of the same Width as the second and fourth wall panels, and the inner and outer portions being of generally triangular configuration and each having an edge perpendicular to the fourth fold line that is as long as the width of the first and third panels;

(3) end closure flaps hinged to each end of the first, second, third and fourth wall panels, and end flaps hinged to each end of the intermediate panel;

(4) a first severable zone defined in the fourth wall panel along the end thereof nearest the fifth and sixth fold lines, and a second severable zone defined in the second wall panel along the end thereof opposite from the first severable zone;

said blank being erectable into a carton having a foursided carton body defined by the first, second, third and fourth wall panels being hinged about the first, second and third fold lines with the flap being folded about the fourth fold line to lie inside the carton body in a condition wherein the inner portion of the flap bears against the first wall panel, the intennediate panel of the flap overlies the fourth wall panel, and the outer portion of the flap bears against the third wall panel and has a free edge disposed along the second fold line between the second and third wall panels.

References Cited UNITED sTATEs PATENTS 2,343,277 3/1944 Clark. 3,127,991 4/1964 Burnett 22917 X 3,182,792 5/1965 Viltrakis 20657 3,185,373 5/1965 Margulies 206-56 FOREIGN PATENTS 932,075 11/1947 France.

MARTHA L. RICE, Primary Examiner. 

